Russia pulls out of Grain Deal, putting tens of millions at risk of food insecurity

Russia has pulled out of the Black Seas Grain Initiative, risking the loss of millions of tonnes of food from the global market. The landmark deal made last summer provided assurance that ships entering and leaving ports in Ukraine would not be attacked. This allowed 32.9 mn tonnes of food to be exported to food insecure regions in Africa, the Middle East and Asia since August. The Kremlin announced on Monday that Russia would suspend the initiative until its demand to get its own agricultural shipments to the world are met, despite the fact that Russia has been exporting record quantities of wheat and fertilisers.